Southern California Job Growth Stalls at 0.1% as Hiring Falls 92% Below 10-Year Pace
Updated
Updated · OCRegister · Jul 2
Southern California Job Growth Stalls at 0.1% as Hiring Falls 92% Below 10-Year Pace
1 articles · Updated · OCRegister · Jul 2
Summary
Southern California added just 6,300 jobs over 12 months through May, lifting total employment to a record 9.9 million but leaving annual growth at only 0.1%.
That hiring pace is 92% below the region’s average annual gain since 2016, with employers facing pressure from the Iran war, high gasoline prices, shifting trade policy and uncertainty over AI’s impact.
Los Angeles County lost 4,000 jobs and Orange County lost 5,800 from a year earlier, while the Inland Empire added 4,500 and San Diego added 13,400, also a record for San Diego.
California still added 102,900 jobs statewide to a record 18.17 million, but Southern California—55% of state employment—generated only 6% of that growth.
Nationally, U.S. employment reached a record 159 million in May, up 503,000 from a year earlier, a hiring pace 67% below the country’s 10-year norm.